Johnson would mesh well with Kelly's system

FILE- In this Feb. 25, 2013, file photo, Oregon defensive lineman Dion Jordan runs a drill during the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis. Don't be shocked if the first four names called Thursday night at the NFL Draft by Commissioner Roger Goodell come from the trenches: tackles Luke Joeckel of Texas A&M and Eric Fisher of Central Michigan; defensive end Dion Jordan of Oregon; and defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd of Florida.(AP Photo/Dave Martin, File)

The way Chip Kelly rolls, Lane Johnson would be the perfect first-round pick for the Eagles in the NFL draft Thursday.

The 6-6, 300-pound Johnson is next to impossible to get around playing left or right offensive tackle.

Johnson can beat any Eagles lineman (and probably most of the linebackers) in a foot race, having run 4.69 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine. The Oklahoma product can out-jump anyone on the team. In an emergency he probably even could play quarterback, his position way back in the day.

Athleticism, versatility, intelligence — those are the qualities Kelly values in his scientific approach to football. Those are the traits to look for in the players the Eagles draft.

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If offensive tackle Eric Fisher slides to No. 4 overall, Johnson still is Kelly’s guy, assuming the Eagles go with an offensive lineman.

Assuming the Eagles stay at No. 4, the availability list also should have at least one quality defensive tackle, possibly Star Lotulelei, and one solid pass rusher such as Dion Jordan, who played under Kelly at Oregon.

Historically the offensive tackle would be the smart pick. Almost 92 percent of offensive tackles drafted in the top 10 tend to play an average of five seasons and start 55 or more NFL games. Former NFL general manager Ted Sundquist keeps those numbers. If the Denver Broncos had found a suitable replacement for John Elway, Sundquist still might be on the payroll.

All of which brings me to the next question: Would the Eagles be reckless enough to pass on a Lane Johnson and trade down to get more picks and possibly select Kelly’s quarterback of the future?

Several NFL teams want to move up to secure an offensive or defensive lineman in a draft almost all of the reputable analysts feel is deep overall but lean on elite, top-shelf talent.

The quarterback class is a perfect example in that there is little consensus on where top prospects Geno Smith, Ryan Nassib and EJ Manuel will come off the board.

Manuel seems best suited to the read option attack Kelly used at Oregon because while he’s raw in his decision making, he’s mobile, durable and can make the money throws required.

The teams that have expressed the most interest in Manuel, a Florida State product, are the Eagles, the Buffalo Bills, who choose eighth, and the New York Jets, which now own picks 9 and 13 after shipping cornerback Darrelle Revis to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Manuel thinks he’s going to be a first-round pick. Count me in with that prediction, although for the Eagles to select Manuel and pass up Johnson or Jordan — or pass rusher KeKe Mingo, cornerback Dee Milliner or wide receiver Tavon Austin for that matter — would be a mistake.

Kelly doesn’t have to hit a home run with his first-ever pick the way Andy Reid did back in 1999 when he chose Donovan McNabb over Akili Smith, Cade McNown, Ricky Williams, Edgerrin James and Daunte Culpepper, among others.

But Kelly needs to set the tone organizationally. It’s going to be interesting to see if he values Jordan, the 6-6, 248-pound rush linebacker with immense upside coming off surgery for a torn labrum over Johnson, whose suitability to the Kelly system is off the charts.

If we learned anything from what players said about Kelly’s first minicamp (it was closed to the media), it’s that you better be in shape. Some of the Eagles’ veterans just aren’t going to be able to keep up in the new system. The guys the Eagles draft most definitely will.

I don’t see how in the world Jason Peters, a perennial Pro Bowl left tackle before tearing his Achilles’ tendon, is going to be able to keep up with an offense that runs a play every 17 or 18 seconds.

Does anyone else see issues if the Eagles don’t block what could be, depending on who the starter is, the quarterback’s blind side?

Johnson can do it. So, too, could Luke Joeckel, the consensus No. 1 pick in the draft, and Fisher, the likely second pick. Neither fits the Eagles’ up-tempo scheme as well as Johnson. And Kelly will make that clear Thursday.